The Borneo Black Magic strained in Qizhouyang (七洲洋)

Ancient skulls in Sarawak Iban longhouse - Source: travelblog



Black magic in early Colonial & Brooke Sarawak was fierce.

Early black magic was powerful because it was believed to be originated from the mystical dense tropical rainforest; some said it was aggressive because it used the essence of many ancient skulls or human remains from many generations of headhunting.

Tropical rainforest in Borneo


Early Chinese immigrants were hungry, aggressive & adventurous, many started moving inland as they settled down near the coastal township they first landed.
As they ventured to the virgin forest and interact more with the natives, conflicts & disputes often arose due to cultural differences & ignorance.

Early Chinese sailing junk in Maritime Silk Route - Source: sea.museum



Chinese immigrants in Sarawak 1900s - Source: Wikipedia


Sometimes the culturally dominant newcomers took advantage of the innocent natives and often ancient rituals or black magic was used as retaliation or defence against these more advanced & exploitative intruders.

Many early immigrants suffered or killed as a result of the ancient black magic, partly as early days the local ethnic rituals was new to them, and partly it was difficult to seek for remedial rituals of their own kind  in the new land.

As such, many victims sought help elsewhere, especially travelled out of Borneo or returned to their homeland.

Interestingly, many recovered as they landed in overseas townships or in their homeland. 
There were many accounts on how the homegoing sufferers reacted upon crossing Qizhouyang (七洲洋) in the South China Sea near Hainan, the crucial sea boundary between the new world and their homeland.

Qizhouyang - Source: Google 


The fight between the black magic & the victim turned apparent as the home going vessel approached Qizhouyang, the critical sea channel. Few strong men were required to hold tight the victim as he struggled to jump to the sea as the vessel sailed through the turbulent channel.

Rough sea - Source: 268weather


The victim recovered as the vessel went through Qizhouyang towards their homeland in calm sea.
It was believed that the Borneo black magic was unable to cross the sacred boundary at Qizhouyang to a different world and was forced to abandon the body occupied and strained at the channel; the victim would have dragged to the sea if he was not held tight at the crucial moment.

Those recovered at homeland were struck back at Qizhouyang as they chose to return with the same passage.

Part of Qizhou Archipelago


Qizhouyang was the section of the historic Maritime Silk Route (or Monsoon Passage), north east of Hainan, that connected China to Southeast Asia & other parts of the World as far as Africa & Europe. 
The channel, within the Qizhou Islands/ Archipelago 七洲列岛, was notorious for its turbulent current. 

Smooth journey through the passage was very much on knowing the details of the changing Monsoon directions, local geography, available clear nights for positioning & underwater topography; with just handful of primitive navigational tools & methods, earlier sailors relied upon very much on courage as well as some guesswork & luck. 

As more maritime tragedies occurred in Qizhouyang, more stories were told about the place & many turned to different folklores & legends through sailors & early immigrants as time passed.

Sailor & Mermaid - Source: pinterest















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Zinc Roofing, Monsoon & the Fxxking Nites

Image
Kampong (village) life is a customary scene in many parts of Malaysia/Malaya and British Borneo, including Sarawak, before & after the War (World War II). As with the post-World War II economic boom, similar to other parts of the World before the mid-70s recession, the era of economic growth progressively helped Sarawak to transform from a rural Kampong lifestyle to a more urbanised standard of living. Many older residents still can remember the earlier Attap roofing (thatched roof using nipa palm leaves) and changes to zinc roofing in the 60s & earlier 70s. There were various nostalgic moments in those poor & happy old days as my older relatives used to recount in beer sessions. The one those old men kept repeating was the story of Zinc roofing & the Monsoon rains. Family size was big in those days, and many families lived in the same roof. There were not much entertainments at nights and most nights were quiet, especially after s
Read more

Raw Pork Fat Sandwich

Image
A slice of bread spread with lard - Source: Wikipedia In our time where obesity & overweight are common, and heart related disease remains top killer; many are cautious on excessive fat intake, and therefore it is even unthinkable to take in uncooked animal fat or raw pork fat. Source: mirror.co.uk During the 19th century & early 20th century, lard or rendered pork fat was popular & used similarly as butter in many parts of Europe & North America. In fact, in certain regions or time where vegetable oil or dairy fats were rare, lard was usually used as a substitute, as in WW2, or consumed as a spread on bread. The Ukrainian Salo, cured pork fat, is sometimes eaten raw, even during the slaughtering; the warm fat may be taken with a dip of salt & a shot of vodka. Ukrainian Salo - Source: tasteatlas.com In China, lard has always been a cooking staple for many centuries. A traditional simple Southern Chinese rice cuisine (or lard rice豬油拌飯) is the used of lard mixing with
Read more

Tua Pek Kong, Kuching - the Feng Shui Legend

Image
The Kuching Tua Pek Kong Temple was once seated on the best Feng Shui location in Kuching; as according to the Feng Shui principle, a hill at the back, a small and smooth flowing river in front (the lost Sg Kuching), and the best front view of the highest peak in the area, Gunung Serapi. The temple was built more than two centuries ago, long before James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak, arrived in Kuching. Like most Chinese temples, the temple prosperity affected and associated highly to the businesses, emotion and activities of the local Chinese community in the early days where majority were followers of Taoist related faith. It was also one of the few buildings that survived the 1884 the Great Fire of Kuching, where most Chinese believed was due to good Feng Shui. It was said that after the 1857 Chinese Insurrection in Bau, a gold mine township nearby, the Brooke Administration was worried about the Tua Pek Kong dominance and its influence to the local Kuc
Read more